


Like Sleep to the Freezing (Sweet and Right and Merciful)

by OurLadyofPerpetualWallflowers



Series: Indiana Beaches [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, implied/referenced racisim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 17:00:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15465981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OurLadyofPerpetualWallflowers/pseuds/OurLadyofPerpetualWallflowers
Summary: Before the fight at the Byers, before eating a cookie in the Wheeler kitchen, Billy Hargrove knocked on the Sinclairs' front door looking for Max. It made an impression.Takes place both before and after It Looks Ugly But It's Clean.





	Like Sleep to the Freezing (Sweet and Right and Merciful)

The first time Patricia Sinclair lays eyes on Billy Hargrove her first thought, for reasons that won’t become apparent until later, is Michael Duncan. It’s odd enough that she doesn’t really pay much attention to their conversation about the whereabouts of Billy’s sister Maxine and she directs him to the Wheeler house next door with an apologetic smile and a brief nod and his muttered “Have a good night, ma’am.” She closes the door and stands there for a minute, thinking, remembering. 

Michael Duncan had moved to Hawkins from Ohio in Patty’s freshman year. He’d been rowdy, wild, wearing bright colors and playing Elvis Presley and Wilson Pickett on his radio as loud as he could. All the girls in school had been wild for him, eager to be seen walking with him in the hall or to be asked for a dance at the diner on Friday night. Patty hadn’t, just sixteen but already knowing with certainty that Eli Sinclair was the man for her just as soon as he got out of the army, but Karen and Joyce and all the others in their year had spent long hours sighing over his hair and his eyes and his bad attitude. 

Two weeks before graduation, Michael had been arrested for beating his father near to death with a pipe. He’d confessed, walking into the police station covered in blood and giving old Chief Davis a heart attack. The gossip circulating had been nearly as wild as Michael had been, everything from devil worship to drugs. Patty’s father was a patrolman though, so she heard the truth; Michael’s father had been beating him for years, wearing him down, pushing him thinner and thinner until he snapped and struck back. Her father had cried that night, just a little, shaking his head and telling her that ‘people didn’t make any sense sometimes, baby girl. Not a bit of sense’. Michael had gone to jail and the story had faded and life had gone on. 

Patty hadn’t thought of Michael in nearly fifteen years-with his wild ways and his too bright eyes, always acting like he was running out of time, like the devil had a hand on his shoulder pushing him forward-but something about Billy Hargrove made her think of him, made her worry just a bit. As she walks back into the kitchen where Erica is doing her homework and dinner is cooking on the stove, she makes a private note to keep her eyes out for Billy Hargrove, and she sends up a prayer for wherever Michael Duncan has wound up.

May it be better than Hawkins.

The second time Patty Sinclair sees Billy, it’s nearly nine o’clock at night in the diner on Sixteenth Street. They’ve just dropped off Lucas at his dance and have taken Erica out for milkshakes because despite her insistence that the Snowball was stupid, both her and Eli know that their little girl feels like her brother is leaving her behind. The three of them are in the last booth, fries and milkshakes on the table and a stack of quarters awaiting Erica’s careful jukebox selections. 

Billy slips into the restaurant with a shiver and Patty frowns at the sight of his thin shirt and loose denim jacket. California kid or not, the fact that his parents can’t be bothered to make sure their son has a proper coat is unacceptable. Billy makes his way down the aisle and takes a seat at the counter not far from their booth. He orders a coffee and pats his pockets for a moment, pulling out a crumpled pack of cigarettes only to toss it down with a sigh when he finds it empty. One hand runs through disheveled blond curls, the other wraps around his mug, and he looks…weary. Not just physically tired but emotionally and mentally exhausted, like Eli after a rough day in court, when the judges haven’t ruled in his favor and the bad guys have gotten away with it. Patty debates for a moment before she taps Eli on the arm.

“Hmm?” 

“Give me your cigarettes.” 

Eli raises one eyebrow even as he’s pulling out the pack from his coat pocket. “Dare I ask why?” Patty kisses his cheek as she takes the Marlboros and stands. 

“I’ll explain later.” She walks over to the counter and something has her tapping the box on the glass display of pies rather than Billy’s arm. He starts, one hand moving in a barely there gesture to block something-a hit maybe?-and Patty takes a deep breath. “Need a smoke? It’s Billy, right? Maxine’s brother?”

Billy glances at her, down at the cigarettes, over her shoulder at Eli and Erica in the booth, before coming back to her. It takes all of a second, that sharp assessment of the situation and Patty slowly exhales. 

“Uh, yeah, thanks.” He takes a cigarette from the pack and rests it in his mouth, adding the word “Ma’am” around it. “Max is fine. Sorry to have bothered you before.”

Patty takes a seat, leaving an empty one between her and him and smiles gently, makes a point of looking at the menu above the counter. “Oh it was no bother. Kids today, can’t keep track of them.”

Billy snorts and takes another sip of coffee, eyes darting around the restaurant, fingers tapping soundlessly against the handle of his mug. Patty feels Eli’s presence before he speaks, a steady warmth against her back. 

“Trading me in for a younger model?” Patty smiles at the old joke between them but it falls when she sees Billy freeze at Eli’s deep voice. The boy is stock still, gaze locked on the daily specials list, breath coming too measured to be natural. She knows that look, sees it at the hospital during rounds. It’s the look of someone bracing themselves for pain and she presses back against her husband. 

“Eli, this is Billy. He’s Max’s brother, the one who stopped by the house the other night? You remember.” Eli tuts and rests his chin atop her head for a moment. 

“Ah, Max. The one who’s got Lucas asking me questions about girls for the first time.” He chuckles and extends a hand towards Billy. “Nice to meet you, son. Eli Sinclair.”  
Billy glances at the hand for a second, eyes darting towards Patty before he slowly reaches out and grasps it. “Sir.”

“We’ll have to swing by sometime, meet your folks.” 

Billy freezes again and something flashes in his eyes, something between fear and regret. He takes a long swallow of coffee before he turns on the stool to face them, voice gravely quiet. “Respectfully, sir…I don’t think that would be a very good idea.” He raises his eyes towards Patty’s and there’s a message on his face. She inhales and nods sharply. Feels Eli stiffen behind her.

“Well.” Patty holds his eyes, and now she sees what that something is. Shame. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Billy nods, eyes dropping back to the counter, jaw clenching. “Me too.”

The tense moment is broken when Erica climbs onto the stool between them and stares at Billy, who stares back. 

“Why do you only have one earring?”

“Uh.” The teen’s eyes dart towards her before looking back at Erica in slightly panicked confusion. ‘’Because I only wanted one.”

“Why?” Erica demands and Eli tuts again, a gentle warning that Erica ignores.

“Because…I did.”

Erica frowns, glaring at the offending earring for a moment before she accepts the lack of an explanation and moves on. “I know who you are. You’re the punk who beat up Lucas.”  
Patty startles. This is news to her and Billy’s wince and glance at Eli confirms it. “Um, yeah. I, uh-“He breaks off and rubs the back of his neck before turning towards them again. “I lost my temper and I’m sorry. But he did kick me in the junk and the little shi-sorry, punks borrowed my car and smashed it up so, uh. Yeah.” He trails off and avoids Eli’s gaze. “It won’t happen again. Sir.”

Patty has questions, a lot of questions, but she holds them back. “What kind of car?” Okay, she holds most of them back.

“Ma’am?” Billy startles again, and her heart twinges in her chest. He looks so tired in the diner’s bright lights, confessing his sins to them as the jukebox plays. 

“Patty’s a bit of a car fanatic.” Eli’s voice is the same level of warmth as before, an unspoken acceptance of the barely there apology they’ve been offered, following her decision to move past it. Sometimes she really loves her husband.

“It’s a Camaro. Z78.” Billy half-heartedly points outside towards a dark blue car. Patty smiles again. 

“Manual, I hope? And a six speed?” Billy stares at her in shock. She’s not too old to say she preens just a touch at the look. “My uncle owned the best auto shop in town. Spent a lot of summers helping out, learned a thing or two.” She lets her face sharpen just a bit, puts on what Eli calls her Nurse face. “Maybe you’ll have to let me take a look at your car sometime. As retribution for this…issue between you and my son that I knew nothing about, hmm?”

Billy sighs, and rubs his neck again and this time Patty sees it clearly-how he’s sitting with one leg stretched towards the ground, still mostly standing, trying to keep his back in a certain position. Michael Duncan pops back up in her mind’s eye, the way he never sat at lunch. Just walked between tables, talking and messing around, starting trouble or stealing hearts. Turns out his father liked to take a belt to the back of his legs, make it impossible to sit without pain. 

“Yes ma’am. I’ll uh, I’ll do that. And I-I really am sorry about Lucas. Max…” Billy trails off and his eyes trace Erica’s face where she’s staring at him. “I was concerned about them hanging out together and I went about it the wrong way. Won’t happened again.”

“We understand. She’s your sister.” Eli’s voice is still gentle but it carries a weight now, the weight of knowing the many ways the people of the world could hurt anyone they didn’t approve of. “And if you see anything you think might be…concerning, we’d appreciate a heads up. If you can.”

Billy’s still staring at Erica and there’s a longing on his face that doesn’t make sense, or maybe it does. Maybe he’s seeing his sister, seeing how Erica’s nose is crinkling up at them, old enough to feel the undercurrents of the conversation but still young enough to not see them yet. He clears his throat and glances away, out at the night. “I’ll try, sir.”

“Come on, Erica.” Eli holds out a hand to his daughter and helps her jump off the stool. “You haven’t picked a song for a while.” Erica takes a few steps before turning back to Billy, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed. 

“Lucas probably deserved whatever you did. But don’t do it again. Or you answer to me.”

Billy smirks, just a little, as he ducks his head in mock cringe. “Yes, your highness.” Erica sniffs and turns back around with her nose in the air and Patty chuckles under her breath. Billy’s smirks fades from his face and he finally lights the cigarette she gave him. 

“Miles’ Garage. On Freemont.” She offers and he frowns at her in confusion before she explains. “You said the kids smashed up your car. Miles is my uncle’s old place. Fellow named Mack runs it now, old friend of the family. He’ll take care of you. Tell him Patty sent you and to lay off the damn Nutty Bars so he knows you mean it.” Billy snorts and nods, shoulders hunching, body language telegraphing that he wanted to be very done with this conversation.

“And Billy?”

“Yes ma’am?” She leans in, holding his gaze and willing him to see the depths of everything she’s about to say. 

“I don’t take kindly to people who lay hands on children. Mine or anyone else’s.” She slowly stands, still trapping those bright blue eyes with her own. “I’m a nurse at Hawkins General. Which means I know a lot of ways to take the human body apart.” Billy’s jaw tightens and that look of bracing for pain is back for a heartbeat. Her expression softens. “I prefer putting them back together though. You ever need anything, you know where to find me.” Billy’s face turns to stone, posture turning dangerous and a black look creeping into his eyes. Patty silently thanks whoever is listening that Eli is still at the jukebox with Erica.

“What are you implying. Ma’am.” His voice is menacing, like the careful footsteps of a creature who’s ready to strike at any moment, all trace of the penitent, tired boy from before gone. Patty shrugs, hands in her pockets, and leans back on her heels. 

“Nothing in particular. I know how boys are. Always getting into scrapes of one kind or another.” She takes a step back towards their booth. “You ever need a nurse…” She shrugs again, imploring him to understand, to believe. “You know one now.”

She doesn’t let him reply, turning and walking back to sit on the red vinyl seat. She hears booted footsteps, hears the door open and shut, the wild roar of a Camaro Z28 start up and speed off into the night. Eli takes the seat next to her, Erica still dropping quarters into the machine a few feet from them. 

“What to tell me what that was all about?” Patty takes a sip of her milkshake and leans her head against her husband’s shoulder. 

“Did I ever tell you about a boy named Michael Duncan? He was in my freshman year…”

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently this is a series now. Where I explore Billy as a character. So yeah. Probably gonna be more.


End file.
